At least 5 die after quake hits Pacific island, officials say

Posted: Saturday, November 27, 1999

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An ocean-centered earthquake sent a giant wave crashing over parts of Pentecost Island in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu today, killing at least five people, local authorities said. Another four people remained missing.

The tsunami was generated by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, said Leiwa Pakoa, a spokeswoman for Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office, in the capital, Port Vila.

The offshore quake occurred about 1:10 a.m. today and was felt on much of the archipelago's more than 80 islands, but the worst affected island was Pentecost, which has a population of about 12,000.

"There was a tidal wave and that damaged one church building in a village called Ena. There were four men killed," Pakoa told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

"In another village, where the tidal wave hit, it took five men. One has been recovered dead and four are still missing."

Pakoa said emergency services were trying to get a helicopter to the island to assess the damage. She had no further details but said authorities feared the casualty toll may rise.

Pentecost is famous for so-called "land dives," performed by locals. The divers jump from wooden scaffolds with vines tied to their ankles.

Vanuatu, about 1,550 miles northeast of Sydney, has a population of 190,000.